Thought I would post today's project. I am not sure if it belongs in the DIY section considering I did not put much effort in to construction. It is however fairly cheap (less than $45 total) and incredibly functional.

I visited a local hydroponics shop a couple weeks ago. While checking out different colorful and over-priced (compared to dry) fertilizers, I found this this 24" T5HO fixture:

It was $35.99 for the light strip, a 6400k 24w bulb, polished reflector, and mounting hardware. The wheels started spinning.

I told the owner of the shop I am interested in aquariums and was thinking about mounting one of these above my 29g. He said he might have just the thing for me and went to the back. He returned with two angle pieces I believe are used for shelving. Apparently he was just going to throw them out because he said I could just take them. This Hydrofarm vendor's generosity is one of the reasons I have yet to remove the stickers from the front of the reflector. Check out Green Gopher Garden Supply if you are in the Monterey area.

I drilled holes at the ends for the eye bolts then spray painted these bad boys, along with my deck.

I went to the hardware store and picked up eye bolts, washers, lock nuts, wire and fasteners, anchors, and screws. After some measurements, I drilled the holes and put in the anchors.

After assembly and mounting, I ended up with this:

The best part about this lighting setup is how simple it is to adjust the height. I am still trying for no co2 injection, so I may want to raise it up further. I will hit up the lighting section for advice.

How do you make sure that the light will be hanging in the right position in relation to the tank? I'm afraid to drill holes in the ceiling and find out that the light hangs a little bit off from the middle of the tank.

I think doing it in the wall is a little less difficult then the ceiling.

What I would do myself is hang a string with some weight on the bottom to the edges of the tank. Make a small mark on the ceiling where this is. Then mark the middle of that measurement Then measure from the wall to where ever the hole in the light fixture for the cable or chain is, and measure that from the ceiling. Last step for me when then be finding out where the whole is from the side of the tank. Mark that on the ceiling, and find the meeting points and mark. That's just me though.

How do you make sure that the light will be hanging in the right position in relation to the tank? I'm afraid to drill holes in the ceiling and find out that the light hangs a little bit off from the middle of the tank.

I found my tape measure, an old level, and a pencil did the job quite well. I ended up marking the wall up a few times to get it just right and level.

If you are mounting it on the ceiling, Nikki's idea is probably the simplest.

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